Robert Jensen DAU Foundation
The Robert Jensen Dau Foundation is a private foundation based in Lake Forest, Illinois, that supports education, the written word, the arts, and the environment. Its website says it pays particular attention to northern Michigan, where its founder was born.
Robert Jensen DAU Foundation at a glance
In short: Robert Jensen DAU Foundation gave $128K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $13K), mostly in Michigan. 10% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $127,605
- +2.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- +11.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,761
- -8.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,500
- Total assets
- $1,498,491
- -7.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 10% first-time grantees (1 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Michigan (50% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Robert Jensen DAU Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 585 Bank Lane 3000, Lake Forest, IL 60045
Phone: (847) 234-5000
Website: HTTPS://WWW.RJDAUFOUNDATION.ORG/
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Robert Jensen DAU Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Great Lakes Center for the Arts ($52K). Together the top 10 received $128K.
Grant Size Distribution
59 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 57 grants of 59 (97%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says it pays particular attention to northern Michigan. Its 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Michigan (50%), New York (26%), Illinois (20%), Washington, DC (4%), and California (1%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Robert Jensen DAU Foundation open to new grantees?
10%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 10 grantees (10%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 31% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $88K (2023) to $214K (2019). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $128K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Great Lakes Center for the Arts Bay Harbor, MI | General Funds | $51,500 |
| Pen America New York, NY | To fund the robert j dau short story prize for emerging writers. | $33,000 |
| Chicago Botanic Garden Glencoe, IL | General Funds | $20,000 |
| Church of the Holy Comforter Kenilworth, IL | General Funds | $5,000 |
| City Kids Wilderness Project Washington, DC | General Funds | $5,000 |
| Bay View Chamber Music Petoskey, MI | Sponsorship of Music Series | $4,000 |
| Bay View Association Petoskey, MI | Musician Scholarship | $3,250 |
| Petoskey Harbor Springs Community Foundation Petoskey, MI | Schlorships to Petoskey High School Students | $3,000 |
| Charlevoix-Emmet ISD Charlevoix, MI | General Funds | $1,855 |
| St Margarets Church Palm Desert, CA | Music Fund | $1,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,498,491 | $82,370 | $198,798 | $127,605 | 10 | $170,359 | $49,931 | $173,574 |
| 2024 | $1,614,919 | $197,170 | $159,968 | $125,000 | 9 | $134,419 | $171,621 | $163,645 |
| 2023 | $1,577,717 | $21,530 | $121,401 | $87,900 | 10 | $102,525 | $11,562 | $140,677 |
| 2022 | $1,677,588 | $37,811 | $218,973 | $183,911 | 12 | $199,835 | $18,673 | $139,787 |
| 2021 | $1,858,750 | $139,233 | $160,797 | $135,265 | 18 | $140,804 | $119,240 | $176,167 |
| 2020 | $1,880,314 | $-120,452 | $160,580 | $121,198 | 12 | — | $8,719 | $145,492 |
| 2019 | $2,161,346 | $339,480 | $237,020 | $213,608 | 15 | — | $317,389 | $133,788 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Robert Jensen DAU Foundation reported a distributable amount of $174K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated primary mission is to support education, the written word, the arts, and the environment. Its education work includes a renewable scholarship for students graduating from Petoskey High School. Its written-word work includes the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers, which recognizes 12 emerging fiction writers each year; the prize is administered with PEN America, and winning stories are published in an annual anthology.
The foundation also supports arts and garden-related organizations. The Great Lakes Center for the Arts, which received a 2025 grant, describes its mission as inspiring, entertaining, educating, and serving people in Northern Michigan year-round through performing arts experiences and educational opportunities.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $127,605. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $51,500, with a median grant of $4,500. Its largest reported grants were $51,500 to Great Lakes Center for the Arts for general funds; $33,000 to PEN America to fund the Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers; and $20,000 to Chicago Botanic Garden for general funds. Other grants included $5,000 to Church of the Holy Comforter for general funds and $5,000 to City Kids Wilderness Project for general funds.
The foundation’s website says the Petoskey High School scholarship is administered through the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation. The website describes the PEN/Dau Prize as a program for writers whose stories are nominated by the editorial boards of the journals where their debut stories were published.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Fernanda D. Fisher as president, Brian T. Fisher as treasurer, and Sofie Fisher as secretary.
Robert Jensen DAU Foundation is led by Fernanda D. Fisher, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Fernanda D. Fisher
President
On filings since 2019
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Brian T. Fisher
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sofie Fisher
Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Kirk Hoopingarner (2022–2024) — Secretary
- Former: Robert T. Napier (2019–2021) — Secretary
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Robert Jensen DAU Foundation
How much does Robert Jensen DAU Foundation give each year?
Robert Jensen DAU Foundation gave $128K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $125K across 9 grants.
What is Robert Jensen DAU Foundation's typical grant size?
Robert Jensen DAU Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,500, and its average grant was $12,761, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Robert Jensen DAU Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Robert Jensen DAU Foundation give grants?
Robert Jensen DAU Foundation gives mostly in Michigan: 50% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (26%) and Illinois (20%). The most frequent recipient cities were Petoskey, MI (3 grants).
Does Robert Jensen DAU Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 50% of Robert Jensen DAU Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Robert Jensen DAU Foundation's largest grantees?
Robert Jensen DAU Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Great Lakes Center for the Arts ($51,500), Pen America ($33,000) and Chicago Botanic Garden ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 82% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Robert Jensen DAU Foundation?
Robert Jensen DAU Foundation reported $1.5M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $170K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $174K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Robert Jensen DAU Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated primary mission is to support education, the written word, the arts, and the environment. Its education work includes a renewable scholarship for students graduating from Petoskey High School. Its written-word work includes the PEN/Robert J. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Robert Jensen DAU Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Robert Jensen DAU Foundation's EIN?
Robert Jensen DAU Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-3548984. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Robert Jensen DAU Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 5, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 31, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 20, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 1, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 4, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Live grants for the work Robert Jensen DAU Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Nixa Affiliate Grantmaking Program Up to US $10,000 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Robert Jensen DAU Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Robert Jensen DAU Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/robert-jensen-dau-foundation-morg_35022a95c9c445dbbc970213062bed60
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_473548984_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Robert Jensen DAU Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/robert-jensen-dau-foundation-morg_35022a95c9c445dbbc970213062bed60},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-18. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Robert Jensen DAU Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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